Slight increase in NHS waiting lists amid doubts over service delivery
NHS sees slight increase in waiting lists after a year of improvement, amid doubts over healthcare needs being met. The latest NHS waiting times data follows a Nuffield Trust report showing that recent improvements in waiting lists are not necessarily due to improved treatment delivery, but rather to a higher number of appointments being removed […]
School absences remain high as think tank warns of unemployment risk
Pupil absence rates remain well above pre-pandemic figures, as leading think tank warns of unemployment risk if urgent action is not taken. The Department for Education has published new figures on pupil absence in schools, revealing a 6.38% overall absence rate during the autumn term 2024/25. This is a decrease from 6.69% the year before, […]
London free school meals’ pupils outperform in higher education progression, lifting national figures
Majority of inner London pupils claiming free school meals pursued higher education in the academic year 2023/24, new figures show. This is well above the national average. The Department for Education has published a new statistical release measuring higher education (HE) progression among pupils in state funded schools by age 19. The figures reveal that […]
Anticipating IMD 2025: Key insights from the deprivation index
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced that the next iteration of the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) for England is set for release on the 30th of October of this year. This highly anticipated statistical release follows a competitive tender process, with Oxford Consultants for Social Inclusion (OCSI) co-leading the project once again. Launched in the early 2000s, […]
Crime increases over the year, driven by surge in fraud offences
Crime in England and Wales has increased over the past year, new figures from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) reveal. This follows recent questioning of the ONS survey’s legitimacy by Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK. This morning, the Office for National Statistics released updated Crime figures for March 2025, indicating a […]
Homelessness assessments persist above pre-Covid levels despite recent gains
New figures show that the number of households assessed as homeless remains well above pre-pandemic levels, despite recent improvements. Statistics published this morning by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government reveal a 7.1% year-on-year decrease in the number of households initially assessed as homeless. This comes as the Centre for Social Justice warns […]
Polimapper’s Geodata Wrap-up – Crime outcomes and unemployment figures
As the week comes to an end, Polimapper’s data team has pulled together hyper-relevant geographical public data releases from the past few days. From a rise in unemployment rates to the increase of apprenticeship adherence we have got the highlights that matter. Plus, we are giving you a sneak peek at what to expect for […]
The future of the Census: Alternative snapshots and the need for a 2031 survey
After initial talks of scrapping the 2031 census sparked strong backlash, the government has now reversed course. It has officially commissioned the Office for National Statistics to conduct a mandatory whole-population census for England and Wales in 2031. For over a decade, successive governments have debated the future of the traditional census after 2021, viewing […]
UK unemployment rises with London seeing highest rates
Unemployment rates increased to highest level since June 2021, as the number of payrolled employees fell, new figures show. This morning, the Office for National Statistics published new Labour Market figures revealing a weakening of the job market. Unemployment rates rose by 0.3% over the year, reaching 4.7% between March and May 2025. Concurrently, the […]
Slow growth in UK house prices after peak in March
In May, UK house prices continued a trend of slower growth as prices increased by 3.9% over the year, compared to 6.4% two months prior. This morning, the Office for National Statistics released updated house price and private rent figures in the UK, revealing a decrease in year-on-year growth to 3.9%. UK house prices in […]